WELL, who were bearing gifts in Oporto yesterday, Greece or Spain? Both goals were gifts of a sort, and so, in its own way, was the header that Raúl put over the Greece bar after 54 minutes.
There had been some speculation that Raúl, despite his pedigree and experience, might be dropped from this game. As it was, Iñaki Sáez, his coach, for once refusing to reveal his team before the game, somewhat unexpectedly decided to put out the same side that had beaten Russia in their opening match.
It was after 28 minutes that Raúltook advantage of a careless miscue, to tap the ball neatly to Fernando Morientes, his team-mate at Real Madrid until his loan to AS Monaco, who duly drove the ball home.
Raúl’s miss was the kind that you simply do not expect from a proven international centre forward. The dynamic and effective Joaquín, came on at half-time, made himself a chance in classical style to cross. The ball reached an unmarked Raúl, who headed feebly over the crossbar.
As for the Greece goal, which came out of the blue on 67 minutes, it was the consequence of remarkably slack defensive play on both flanks. The cross from the right should never have been allowed and Angelos Charisteas should never have been allowed the room and the time to bang it home. But back to Joaquín, who had such a fine tournament in the 2002 World Cup finals. In an era when coaches tend to look askance on the true winger, both Joaquín and Joseba Etxeberria, whom he replaced at half-time, can do the enterprising and exciting thing that wingers have done in past years.
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Etxeberria had an exuberant game against Russia in the first match. In yesterday’s game, he was twice spitefully fouled in the first three minutes, but if Greece thought that this would lighten their burden, they learnt to their cost when Joaquín came on that it would be an even heavier load.
These two are true successors to a tradition of famous Spanish outside rights.
What did surprise one was that Sáez, against initial expectations, should continue with the central midfield players, in the shape of David Albelda and Rubén Baraja, both of Valencia and better known for their ability to close down than create chances. It would be a long time before Juan Carlos Valerón was brought on to give the midfield some subtlety and invention.
When Spain won this tournament 40 years ago in Madrid, they had Luisito Suarez as a playmaker, who pulled the strings from midfield both for Inter Milan and Spain. Before the tournament, he had won a medal for Inter in the European Cup final, where he is was lucky to be playing at all. Always a blend of high skill and sporadic ferocity, he had kicked Borussia Dortmund out of the second leg of the semi-final in Milan, only to escape punishment from a Yugoslav referee.
Before this game, Sáez had remarked that the best thing to do against the reinformced Greek defence was to score the first goal. Spain did indeed score the first goal, but as we have seen, it was simply not enough. Though Spain certainly held the balance of play, Greece could always be dangerous in spasms. Not least early in the second half.
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Theo Zagorakis, first when he struck a loose ball just wide of the right hand post, then when he snapped the ball up, enterprisingly beat one man, and shot, thought Iker Casillas took it without difficulty.
So far, the Greeks have certainly surpassed themselves, and whatever happens in their third game, will eventually go out of the tournament with dignity, a tribute to the German coach who reorganised and revitalised them, Otto Rehhagel, a veteran of course, of European Football.
Spain, are flattering to deceive. Both Morientes and Raúl were ultimately substituted, and one suspect that the prolific young Fernando Torres of Atlético Madrid will be something better than a substitute in games to come.